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30 November 2010

A big congratulations to Suzanne Smith, who has won the signed copy of Matthew Reilly's The Five Greatest Warriors.

We received a lot of enthusiastic entries, but Suzanne's showed she was true fan of Matthew Reilly's work, and of the adventure and action genre. Her final line actually made us laugh out loud, so we've highlighted it in blue below.

Suzanne's response to: What is your favourite Matthew Reilly book?

Seven Ancient Wonders is my favourite novel for a very simple reason - it was my introduction into the world of Matthew Reilly. I bought the book because the blurb indicated the promising premise of a global hunt for ancient treasures. The book was much more than I could have hoped for: an Australian hero leading an international super-team on a race against time to locate treasures guarded by fiendishly clever ancient booby traps. In addition to my love for books I hold a special regard for movies and I was surprised to find that Matthew Reilly somehow managed to deliver a story that satisfied both my passions. I knew I was holding the book in my two, very real, hands but I was also watching an epic action adventure movie. I could practically see Hugh Jackman dodging booby traps, Indiana Jones-style, while wearing Captain Jack West's trademark fireman's helmet. I felt an instant kinship with Matthew Reilly despite knowing nothing about the author at that time. Sure, he obviously had writing and story-telling skills but I saw through that: he was a movie geek. A movie geek giddily combining his two great loves, movies and novels, with intense passion and force as though he thought at any minute someone would realise he’s having too much fun and make him put down his pen.

Though I may have felt a kinship with Matthew Reilly when I first read Seven Ancient Wonders, the moment I found out he owned a Delorean (a la Back To The Future) I knew I was in love. Fast forward a few years and my bookcase now holds his entire back catalogue and I feverishly await each new book like an addict waits for their next hit.Owning a signed copy of The Five Greatest Warriors would probably blow my mind but I promise I won't hold the Sydney Writers' Centre liable for medical damages.

We're mailing out your signed copy of The Five Greatest Warriors, and are delighted we wont be held liable for your brain explosion. Enjoy it!

29 November 2010

Big congratulations are in order for Larissa Behrendt who was awarded the NSW Australian of the Year award on last week, on the 25th of November, 2010 . For those of you not familiar with Behrendt's work, she is a law professor at UTS, passionate advocate for Australian reconciliation and indigenous rights, and has written a number of books, including the highly-acclaimed and heart-twisting novel Home.

Larissa Behrendt was recognised for her tireless commitment to her vision of a better Australia, through her work as a law professor at UTS, her advocacy and her writing.

Now is a great time to read Home, so bump it to the top of your to-read list and try and complete it by Australia day, when the National Australian of the Year is announced.

24 November 2010

A friend of mine tagged me in this Facebook note over the weekend, confirming my suspicion that my book-nerdiness is becoming increasingly obvious. This note that has been doing the rounds for almost a year now, and it is probably based on the 2009 BBC booklist. We were struck by how many notable exclusions, and questionable inclusions, there are on this list.

For example, why is The Picture of Dorian Gray not on the list? Why are the Narnia series, and the individual The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe both on the list?

What do you think of the list? How many of these books have you read? Which books are missing? I’ve gone through and followed the instructions of the note, and would love to hear which ones you have read in the comments section.

The Facebook Note:

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicise the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!

19 November 2010

Matthew Reilly is one of Australia's most successful authors, and has a repetoire of 9 published books, an international following and his name in big letters on his books. He also has one of the most successful self-publishing stories around, from turning up with his box of his first book Conquest to book shops and selling them at the bar he worked at during uni.

We had the opportunity to talk at length with Matthew last week about his writing career and advice for aspiring authors, and you can watch the video and read the full transcript here.

We have a signed copy of his latest release The Five Greatest Warriors to give away to a very lucky newsletter subscriber. This could make a perfect Christmas gift – if you can bear to give it away!

It began with six stones. Jack West Jr and his loyal team are in desperate disarray: they’ve been separated and their mission is in tatters, and Jack was last seen plummeting down a fathomless abyss.

After surviving his deadly fall, Jack must now race against his many enemies to locate and set in place the remaining pieces of The Machine before the coming Armageddon.

As the world teeters on the brink of destruction, Jack will learn of the Five Warriors, the individuals who throughout history have been most intimately connected to his quest.

If you’d like a chance to win this very special prize, just tell us what your favourite Matthew Reilly book is, and why. (Or tell us about your favourite thriller/adventure book.)

Email your answers to courses@spindriftmedia.com.au by Friday 26 November 2010 and don’t forget to include your postal address.

If you are not currently subscribed to the newsletter you can do so here so you can enter the competition.

17 November 2010

The Great Gatsby was my first ever favourite book. Beloved by thousands of writers and readers who have careened through this short novel of delicate sentences, impossible descriptions and odd characters, this story also retains the much-coveted relevance of cultural commentary. So I was very excited when I heard that there was a new movie being developed, starring Leonardo Dicaprio as Gatsby and directed by Australia's very own Baz Luhrman. I'm especially looking forward to seeing how Luhrman tackles the gorgeous descriptions.

However, is a film version of The Great Gatsby ever going to do justice to the original text? This article by Sarah Churchill in the UK Guardian mounts a strong case for a resounding "no". She argues that the essential vagueness and the critical symbolic nature of the characters can never be transformed into a film version that doesn't cheapen the very elements that make the book so memorable.

A snippet of the article:

"Gatsby is littered with words that disavow storytelling: "uncommunicable", "unusually communicative in a reserved way", the "unutterable", the "unknowable"."

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to share them in the comments section, or on our Facebook page.

27 August 2010

There’s been a lot of fuss about this book. For first time author Jeremy Chambers, the accolades must be gratifying - the cover has two gushing quotes from literary heavyweights Alex Miller and M J Hyland. I also heard a lot of people talking about it at the recent Byron Bay Writers Festival. There has been a real buzz!

But I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It is beautifully written, and the characters are so appealing despite their many faults. The best word I can think of to describe the book is laconic. The pace sometimes feels slow and the dialogue repetitive, but it complements the characters and the story so nicely you can happily go along with it for some time.

The novel is set in wine-growing country in Victoria where the lives of most of the town folk seem to revolve around working and drinking. For Smithy, the main character and narrator, years of heavy drinking have left him physically shattered and even the smallest amount of alcohol is out of the question. With his sudden sobriety comes a flood of memories, at times overwhelming and often accompanied by feelings of regret and guilt.

Also struggling to come to terms with the hand life has dealt her is Charlotte, a young woman trapped in a destructive and abusive relationship. She turns to Smithy for help and despite their age differences (there’s at least twenty years between them), they develop a touching, if fragile, relationship.

Some of the best writing in the novel is in Smithy’s descriptions of a night out at the pub. Being on the wagon, he’s uniquely placed to see what really happens at Friday night drinks. His descriptions are laden with wonder and disgust at the drunken behaviour of his friends and colleagues.

The low point for me was Charlotte’s monologue. It seemed to go on forever – and I wasn’t surprised to discover it’s 49 pages long. While I was interested in her story, the stream-of-consciousness tone of this part of the book started to grate after a while. I guess, on reflection, it was a nice way to compare Smithy’s life experience and maturity to Charlotte’s. She’s much younger than Smithy, and left school to marry the local bad boy, but her reminiscences reveal more self-pity than true regret or reflection.

Ultimately, The Vintage and the Gleaning is a story about regret and the speed at which life can pass us by. In that, it’s a successful novel, and definitely one I’d recommend.